Kiwiria's June Journeys
Jul. 2nd, 2018 12:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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christianreaderLots of rereads at the moment. I had too many bad/depressing/frustrating books one after the other, and needed some GUARANTEED comfort reading to get out of my slump.
White Weddings - Milly Johnson, 2/5, 444 pages
Frankly, this book suffered a lot from my expectations being totally off. I'd assumed "White Weddings" would be a cozy, romantic, feel-good chick-lit - instead I got a trainwreck of a book, that I couldn't look away from. Not at all what I was looking for, unfortunately. Of the three weddings being planned in the book, only one actually takes place, none of the women are happy in their relationship (although not all of them are aware of it) and though they all have good reasons to get out of the relationships, they all need the catalyst of finding somebody else to actually get out. It seemed to belittle the very real issues the relationships had, that they needed "the other man/woman" in order to get out. Bel came closest, but still...
Of the three women, I liked Bel the most. She seemed the most believable and was definitely the one who showed most character development. I loved seeing how she grew during the story and how her relationship with her family changed. I felt sorry for Vickie, and though I wanted to shake her, her predicament seemed believable. Max was infuriating though. I really wish she'd come to understand how seriously she had wronged Stuart, but that totally disappeared in everything else that happened, which p****d me off.
Milly Johnson came highly recommended, but if this is the general standard and genre of her books, I think I'll stay away from them from here on.
The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah, 1.5/5, 435 pages
I read my first Kristin Hannah book earlier this year. It was fun and touching and real. So when I discovered this and saw it took place in Alaska (a place forever on my bucket list) and that it came so highly rated, I wanted to read it immediately, knowing I would love this too.
I was wrong. I won't go so far as to say I hated it, but I really wish I'd never laid my hands on it. It was well enough written that I wanted to know what came next, but it hurt me greatly to read. I kept at it, thinking that it had to improve... but it didn't. At least not until it was far, far too late. 30 pages of renewed hope and finally a chance of real happiness can never make up for the 400 pages of heartbreak that came before. It made me cry and not in a good way, making it a very painful book to read.
With all the glowing reviews out there I hope mine will warn others that this is not a happy book, this is not a pleasant read, this is not a book you feel better afterwards for having read.
I don't know that I will dare give Kristin Hannah another chance. As much as I loved "Now That You Mention It" - this wasn't worth it.
A Modern Witch - Debora Geary*, 5/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
An Imperfect Witch - Debora Geary*, 4.5/5, 250 pages
An Unlikely Witch - Debora Geary*, 4/5, 243 pages
A Dangerous Witch - Debora Geary*, 4/5, 165 pages
There are few books I want to read as badly "for the first time" again as this series. This is a true comfort series, and I have a hard time remembering when I've last fallen THIS hard for a new book. They're instant favourites.
Waking Gods - Sylvain Neuvel*, 4.5/5, 336 pages
This book picks up 9 years after the first one left off which disappointed me a bit at first (I wanted to know what happened RIGHT after), but worked quite nicely once I got further into it.
Though obviously not as 'unique' as the first book, "Waking Gods" was every bit as good and every bit as difficult to put down. Even the (relatively) open ending didn't bother me too much, as it fit in with the rest of the plot. Still, I'll be keeping an eager eye out for the third book in the series.
Rather dark at times (Sylvain Neuvel is not afraid to "kill his darlings" - so don't expect anybody to be safe "just because") but still written with a good dose of humour. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read more.
A Life in Stitches - Rachael Herron, 3/5, 144 pages
Unfortunately I was slightly disappointed by this essay collection. I had fully expected to adore it (essays about knitting - what's not to like?), but just wasn't as charmed by it as I had thought I'd be. I can't pinpoint any specific issue I had with the collection, so I think it was just a matter of lack of chemistry.
Not a bad book by any means - I just didn't fall in love with it the way I thought I would, and therefore spent waaaaaay too long reading it.
Mordacious - Sarah Lyons Fleming, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~18hrs
A companion series to the "Until the End of the World" series, featuring (among others) Cassie's brother and Penny's mother. I was really curious to see what happened to both of them, so I was happy to see this. However, what mostly appealed to me about the UtEotW series was the world building, and there was hardly any of that here, as the universe had already been established.
I still enjoyed it though, especially as it wasn't quite as heavy on the zombie-bashing (literally) as I'd feared. I'll probably read the rest of the series eventually, but right now I think I need a break from all the zombies.
Fervent Prayer - Priscilla Shirer, 4/5, 211 pages
A really good book with some concrete examples of how we can pray specifically and strategically for the areas in our lives where the devil is most likely to attack us. Priscilla uses personal examples to make the issues relatable to the reader, and offers verses from Scripture to use in our prayers.
I don't think I learned so many new things from this book, but I appreciated the specific examples of how to apply her ideas to my existing prayer-life. Especially the part about praying specifically and individually for family and friends rather than just the litany of "bless him and her and her and...". Prayer blesses both the one being prayed for and the one praying, and this tactic allows me to focus more distinctly on whoever I'm praying for. Not that there's anything wrong with the other method - and sometimes that is indeed all I have time for - but it's good to be reminded of alternatives.
The Forever House - Veronica Henry, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
Typical English chick-lit and a tad too twee, but though I did feel like rolling my eyes at times, it was a very sweet book, and I found more to like about it than not.
The plot is pretty much non-existing, and it's definitely a character-driven book, but I grew to care for both Belinda and Sally and appreciated the way the narration jumped back and forth in time to give us the story of Hunter's Moon both then and now.
I wasn't blown away by it, but liked it well enough.
Refuel - Doug Fields, 4/5, 132 pages
A quick read, full of examples of how to establish a habit of connecting with God on a regular basis, without pushing any guilt about not doing so already. I really appreciated how specific the examples were, and how easy they would be to incorporate in a busy lifestyle.
Only Human - Sylvain Neuvel, 3/5, 336 pages
Unfortunately not quite as good as the first two books in the series. It was still well-written, and a good conclusion to the story. But it was too bleak for my tastes. I knew already from the previous books that Sylvain Neuvel isn't afraid to kill his darlings, but it has to serve some sort of purpose for me to be on board with it.
Books total: 62
Pages total: 15.057
Book of the Month: Nothing really stood out.
Biggest disappointment: A toss between The Great Alone and White Wedding. The former annoyed me more while reading it, the latter annoyed me more in retrospect.
White Weddings - Milly Johnson, 2/5, 444 pages
Frankly, this book suffered a lot from my expectations being totally off. I'd assumed "White Weddings" would be a cozy, romantic, feel-good chick-lit - instead I got a trainwreck of a book, that I couldn't look away from. Not at all what I was looking for, unfortunately. Of the three weddings being planned in the book, only one actually takes place, none of the women are happy in their relationship (although not all of them are aware of it) and though they all have good reasons to get out of the relationships, they all need the catalyst of finding somebody else to actually get out. It seemed to belittle the very real issues the relationships had, that they needed "the other man/woman" in order to get out. Bel came closest, but still...
Of the three women, I liked Bel the most. She seemed the most believable and was definitely the one who showed most character development. I loved seeing how she grew during the story and how her relationship with her family changed. I felt sorry for Vickie, and though I wanted to shake her, her predicament seemed believable. Max was infuriating though. I really wish she'd come to understand how seriously she had wronged Stuart, but that totally disappeared in everything else that happened, which p****d me off.
Milly Johnson came highly recommended, but if this is the general standard and genre of her books, I think I'll stay away from them from here on.
The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah, 1.5/5, 435 pages
I read my first Kristin Hannah book earlier this year. It was fun and touching and real. So when I discovered this and saw it took place in Alaska (a place forever on my bucket list) and that it came so highly rated, I wanted to read it immediately, knowing I would love this too.
I was wrong. I won't go so far as to say I hated it, but I really wish I'd never laid my hands on it. It was well enough written that I wanted to know what came next, but it hurt me greatly to read. I kept at it, thinking that it had to improve... but it didn't. At least not until it was far, far too late. 30 pages of renewed hope and finally a chance of real happiness can never make up for the 400 pages of heartbreak that came before. It made me cry and not in a good way, making it a very painful book to read.
With all the glowing reviews out there I hope mine will warn others that this is not a happy book, this is not a pleasant read, this is not a book you feel better afterwards for having read.
I don't know that I will dare give Kristin Hannah another chance. As much as I loved "Now That You Mention It" - this wasn't worth it.
A Modern Witch - Debora Geary*, 5/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
An Imperfect Witch - Debora Geary*, 4.5/5, 250 pages
An Unlikely Witch - Debora Geary*, 4/5, 243 pages
A Dangerous Witch - Debora Geary*, 4/5, 165 pages
There are few books I want to read as badly "for the first time" again as this series. This is a true comfort series, and I have a hard time remembering when I've last fallen THIS hard for a new book. They're instant favourites.
Waking Gods - Sylvain Neuvel*, 4.5/5, 336 pages
This book picks up 9 years after the first one left off which disappointed me a bit at first (I wanted to know what happened RIGHT after), but worked quite nicely once I got further into it.
Though obviously not as 'unique' as the first book, "Waking Gods" was every bit as good and every bit as difficult to put down. Even the (relatively) open ending didn't bother me too much, as it fit in with the rest of the plot. Still, I'll be keeping an eager eye out for the third book in the series.
Rather dark at times (Sylvain Neuvel is not afraid to "kill his darlings" - so don't expect anybody to be safe "just because") but still written with a good dose of humour. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read more.
A Life in Stitches - Rachael Herron, 3/5, 144 pages
Unfortunately I was slightly disappointed by this essay collection. I had fully expected to adore it (essays about knitting - what's not to like?), but just wasn't as charmed by it as I had thought I'd be. I can't pinpoint any specific issue I had with the collection, so I think it was just a matter of lack of chemistry.
Not a bad book by any means - I just didn't fall in love with it the way I thought I would, and therefore spent waaaaaay too long reading it.
Mordacious - Sarah Lyons Fleming, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~18hrs
A companion series to the "Until the End of the World" series, featuring (among others) Cassie's brother and Penny's mother. I was really curious to see what happened to both of them, so I was happy to see this. However, what mostly appealed to me about the UtEotW series was the world building, and there was hardly any of that here, as the universe had already been established.
I still enjoyed it though, especially as it wasn't quite as heavy on the zombie-bashing (literally) as I'd feared. I'll probably read the rest of the series eventually, but right now I think I need a break from all the zombies.
Fervent Prayer - Priscilla Shirer, 4/5, 211 pages
A really good book with some concrete examples of how we can pray specifically and strategically for the areas in our lives where the devil is most likely to attack us. Priscilla uses personal examples to make the issues relatable to the reader, and offers verses from Scripture to use in our prayers.
I don't think I learned so many new things from this book, but I appreciated the specific examples of how to apply her ideas to my existing prayer-life. Especially the part about praying specifically and individually for family and friends rather than just the litany of "bless him and her and her and...". Prayer blesses both the one being prayed for and the one praying, and this tactic allows me to focus more distinctly on whoever I'm praying for. Not that there's anything wrong with the other method - and sometimes that is indeed all I have time for - but it's good to be reminded of alternatives.
The Forever House - Veronica Henry, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
Typical English chick-lit and a tad too twee, but though I did feel like rolling my eyes at times, it was a very sweet book, and I found more to like about it than not.
The plot is pretty much non-existing, and it's definitely a character-driven book, but I grew to care for both Belinda and Sally and appreciated the way the narration jumped back and forth in time to give us the story of Hunter's Moon both then and now.
I wasn't blown away by it, but liked it well enough.
Refuel - Doug Fields, 4/5, 132 pages
A quick read, full of examples of how to establish a habit of connecting with God on a regular basis, without pushing any guilt about not doing so already. I really appreciated how specific the examples were, and how easy they would be to incorporate in a busy lifestyle.
Only Human - Sylvain Neuvel, 3/5, 336 pages
Unfortunately not quite as good as the first two books in the series. It was still well-written, and a good conclusion to the story. But it was too bleak for my tastes. I knew already from the previous books that Sylvain Neuvel isn't afraid to kill his darlings, but it has to serve some sort of purpose for me to be on board with it.
Books total: 62
Pages total: 15.057
Book of the Month: Nothing really stood out.
Biggest disappointment: A toss between The Great Alone and White Wedding. The former annoyed me more while reading it, the latter annoyed me more in retrospect.
